


The Midnight Date

by AHopefulVoice



Series: reputation [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkward Sexual Situations, Drinking, F/M, First Dates, Galaxy’s edge references, Making Out, Mara Jade is super awkward, Not Canon Compliant, “Delicate”
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:07:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29441646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHopefulVoice/pseuds/AHopefulVoice
Summary: Mara picked at her cuticles, avoiding Skywalker’s eyes, as she said, “I was surprised to receive your comm tonight.”Skywalker looked over at her, saying, “Why would that surprise you?”She shrugged, feeling her stomach turn over and over.  “This is a pretty public place,” she said, gesturing around with her head, still pulling at the skin around her nails.  “It’s brave of you to be seen in public with me.”Or, the incredibly awkward first date between Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker.
Relationships: Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker (mentioned)
Series: reputation [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162601
Kudos: 26





	The Midnight Date

**Author's Note:**

> So this has been written for a long time, and just never posted. It is a sequel to _The Art of Avoiding a Jedi_ but reading that isn’t exactly necessary. I have had this idea for quite a while—of creating a series of works detailing Mara Jade’s life, both as the Emperor’s Hand and after, based on songs from Taylor Swift’s _reputation_ because I am trash. 
> 
> Also the hubs and I are obsessed with Galaxy’s Edge and I can’t help but have elements of it in, like, all of my writing now. So that’s where the drinks and some of the food in this come from.
> 
> So yeah. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Mara Jade stepped carefully over what looked like a spilled bowl of happabore, and grimaced.Ever since her Force abilities had returned, being around large groups of people was difficult and distracting, but she promised Skywalker she would try to get used to it, to keep from shielding herself off from everyone and everything.

To stop hiding from him.

Luke Skywalker shone like a beacon through the Force, always easy to find.Tonight was no exception.As soon as she walked into the dive bar, she could feel his Force presence gently brushing against her own.Out of instinct, Mara shied away, then tentatively reached back.

He was seated at a table in the corner, his back to the wall.When he saw her coming, a large smile transformed his face and he stood.She couldn’t help but return the grin.

As Mara walked towards him, her stomach flipped.She hadn’t seen him in person since the birthday ball, when everything changed.When she spent the whole night avoiding him.When she got drunk, threw caution to the wind, and kissed him. 

Not one of her proudest moments.

But it did, however, spark a deeper connection between the two that Mara couldn’t deny.They played comm tag more often than they actually spoke, leaving messages while the other was in hyperspace.He tried to get to know her, and she learned about him.

What would he do when she reached the table?The last time they’d been alone, she’d been trying to drunkenly jam her tongue down his throat.Surely he wouldn’t try to kiss her now.They were in public, albeit a lower level on Coruscant than he normally frequented, but someone was bound to recognize him.Should she shake his hand?That seemed too formal.Mara wasn’t comfortable enough with being near people physically to go in for a hug.Should she kiss him?

It didn’t matter.

As soon as Mara reached the table, Skywalker’s smile got wider and brighter, and he pulled out her chair for her.Mara couldn’t help but laugh.“You know this is not a five star establishment, right?” she mocked.

Skywalker hadn’t lost his sense of humor in the last three months.“What do you mean this isn’t a five star establishment?I made a reservation two weeks ago!”They both laughed, and it felt good.Mara relaxed, and let her mind’s walls down a little.Skywalker was not going to harm her.“But in all seriousness, my Aunt Beru would find a way to become a Force ghost and terrorize me for the rest of my life if she thought I had lost my manners.”

Mara raised a skeptical eyebrow in jest.“There are manners on Tatooine?Did you have cotillion, too?”

He looked taken aback at her words, but Mara could see in his eyes and feel in his presence that he was joking as he said, “I was the best dancer on all of Tatooine.They tried to send me on tour around the galaxy but I declined, saying that my dream was to be a moisture farmer slash professional dewback wrangler.”

Her lips rose up on one side in amusement.“I’ve seen you dance, Skywalker.If you’re the best dancer on Tatooine, the rest must be banthas.”

“Who told you that my date every year was a bantha?” he asked in mock horror, but couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

“You forget that I work for a man who specializes in information,” Mara said.

Skywalker smacked himself on the forehead.“Of course you do!How could I be so stupid?”Their laughs died off, leaving an awkward silence in its wake.Then he smiled at her and said, “It’s good to see you, Mara.”

Her first instinct was to make a biting remark, but instead Mara said, “You, too,” and found that she meant it.

A girl with pink skin and purple hair approached their table and said, “Can I get you two lovebirds anything to drink?”

Mara felt Skywalker’s embarrassment more than her own.“I’ll have a glass of toniray, please.”

She watched as Skywalker smiled and handed the menu to the young woman.“I’ll have a Fuzzy Tauntaun, please.”

“You got it,” the waitress said, and walked away.

Mara picked at her cuticles, avoiding Skywalker’s eyes, as she said, “I was surprised to receive your comm tonight.”

Skywalker looked over at her, saying, “Why would that surprise you?”

She shrugged, feeling her stomach turn over and over.“This is a pretty public place,” she said, gesturing around with her head, still pulling at the skin around her nails.“It’s brave of you to be seen in public with me.”

“Because you’re with the Smugglers’ Alliance?” he asked.“Mara, you know that’s not a conflict of interest with me.I’m not really part of the New Republic government.”

“No.”Mara moved her hands under her thighs.She was a professional, damn it.She did _not_ fidget.“I’ve got a pretty big reputation, Skywalker.I’d say it’s never been worse, but that wouldn’t exactly be true.”

Skywalker’s countenance turned incredibly serious, and his tone was sincere as he said, “I don’t care about any of that, Mara.You saved my sister’s children, and you saved my life, too.No one else’s opinion should matter but your own.”He paused.“For what’s it’s worth, I like you for who _you_ are.”

This was bad.This was really bad.With every word that Skywalker spoke, Mara felt her stomach twist into tighter knots like a rathtar with its prey.She shouldn’t be surprised that he liked her, he had kissed her, too, remember?He had invited her here, in the middle of the night, to have a drink with him, because he was thinking about her and wanted to see her.Not bad, she told herself.This was good.

He must have sensed her anxiety despite her tightly clenched mental shields, because his Force presence brushed up against hers gently.Mara’s eyes closed and she leaned into the touch.She kept her eyes shut as she told him, “You know, Skywalker, you’re very good at being reassuring.”Mara looked right at him: “Even when you’re being nosy.”

At least he had the decency to blush, both physically and within the Force.“Sorry,” he said, sheepishly.“I’m still getting used to being able to feel someone else who isn’t Leia.It’s a nice feeling, not being alone.”

He was right, though she wouldn’t admit it.She had only ever had direct Force contact with the Emperor, and every time she was near Skywalker, she couldn’t help but bask in the warmth of his presence.His light was very relaxing.Comforting.

“You don’t have to apologize,” Mara said.“I know what you mean.”

The waitress approached with their drinks.Mara accepted her turquoise wine with a tight smile, watching Skywalker grin down at his drink and thank the girl.

“Okay,” said Mara, “you got me.What the hell is that?”

Skywalker looked up at her.“It’s a Fuzzy Tauntaun,” he said, as if that explained everything.“Han introduced me to it one time.It makes your lips and tongue go numb.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

He laughed.“It tastes good, too.Wanna try it?”

Mara gave herself a split second to consider.She didn’t particularly want to try the drink—she wasn’t adventurous with her mixed drinks—but she didn’t want him to think her rude.Was it in her best interest to accept, because she genuinely did like him?She plastered a smile on her face and said, “Sure.”

Skywalker hesitated, and said, “You don’t have to, Mara.I just thought I’d offer.”

“No, I don’t—”

“Mara,” he insisted.

She buried her face in her hands.“I’m terrible at this.”

He inched his chair closer and put his hand on her shoulder.A shiver ran down her spine.“Hey, it’s okay,” Skywalker said gently.“I can honestly tell you that if you offered me some of your wine, I would decline.”She raised an eyebrow at him, peering over her fingers.“Leia loves toniray but it is way too dry for me.I’m a wimp when it comes to wine.”

Mara snorted.“You’re never a wimp, Skywalker.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he said.“And you should call me Luke.That is my name, after all, and it’s kind of weird to use surnames on a date, Jade.”

Her stomach jumped again.She knew that this was a date, but it was different hearing him say it.Mara had never been on a proper _date_ before.Not as herself.She couldn’t keep her lips from twisting and he noticed.

“We don’t have to call it a date,” he said quickly. “We’re just two friends out, catching up.”

“No,” Mara said, “I just...”She didn’t want to tell him how inexperienced she was at all of this.“I don’t really go on _dates_.People find me intimidating.And I never had time or interest in it.So it’s just strange to hear.”Force, now she was _rambling_.He was going to be running for the hills before she could finish her wine.She took a large swallow.

The smile on Skywalker’s face was ruined by the tiny spot of pity she could see in his eyes.

Her mood soured immediately.She never wanted his _pity_.“Great.Now you feel bad for me, but let me tell you, Skywalker—I don’t need your pity.I don’t need anyone’s pity.I have no regrets about my life, and—”

Skywalker raised his hands in surrender, his eyes wide.“Whoa, Mara, I didn’t mean to upset you or start something.I just thought that maybe you could call me Luke.”

Mara took a deep breath.“Tell me about Tatooine...Luke,” she added.Her request took him by surprise.“Isn’t that what people do on dates?Talk about your childhood?”

He smiled at her, and said, “When have we ever been like other people, Mara?”He took a long drink.“Tatooine was Tatooine.You know—you’ve been there.”

“But what was it like to grow up there?” _What was it like to grow up,_ she really wanted to know.

Maybe he sensed her unspoken words, because he shrugged and wrapped both hands around the glass before him.“At the time I thought it was boring and worthless and I couldn’t wait to get off that rock.”He paused, staring down into his drink, then looked back up at her.“Looking back, I can’t be grateful enough for what my aunt and uncle did for me.They raised me instead of having a child of their own, kept me safe despite all the shavit I put them through.I wanted to go to the Academy _so bad_ , but Uncle Owen insisted on _next season_ and then the _next season_.

“I skipped out on chores to go see my friends and get in trouble.We did too little work and drank way too much, because there was nothing else to do,” Skywalker continued.“But I had a real childhood, unlike Leia, which I suppose—no, I _know_ I’m grateful for.I got to grow up with a normal life, with normal teenage concerns, like chores and girls.”

His words twisted Mara’s stomach.Her mouth worked before her brain could catch up, saying, “I’m jealous.”

There was a long, silent moment, accenting the din around them.

“I’m sorry, Mara—”

She shook her head.“Don’t be.Like I said, I have no regrets.”Another moment passed, and Mara continued, “Well, maybe one.”His attention fully on her, she cracked a smile.“I never got to skip school.”

The tension between them broke, and Luke laughed.“It’s amazing I ever got any kind of education with the amount of school I skipped before stopping to work on the farm full-time.”

That was interesting.“You didn’t finish school?”

“I did eventually,” he explained.“Hiding out on resistance bases is actually a pretty good time to do some distance learning.So I didn’t go to university or anything, but I’m not a dumb hick.”

Mara pursed her lips, amused.“Jury’s still out on that one.”

“Ha ha,” he said sardonically, but she knew his feelings weren’t hurt.“So, uh...do you want to get out of here?”

Her stomach dropped.There were all sorts of connotations that went along with ‘getting out of here.’Was he inviting her back to his place?Did he expect something from her?Mara was just getting used to the idea of accepting her feelings for Skywalker; she didn’t think she could sleep with him yet.

She wasn’t quite as experienced as everyone seemed to think.

Tone laced with caution, Mara asked, “Where do you want to go?”

He shrugged, and that was such a Skywalker thing to do.Suggest something with no real plans.“I’ve got a new holofilm on the rise of the Empire you might be interested in.Or we could go on a walk.Doesn’t matter to me.”Standing, Skywalker said, “Think about it.I’m gonna go get the tab.”

“Hang on,” Mara said quickly, reaching for her bag.

But Skywalker had already walked off.

It irritated her that he insisted on doing things for her, like he assumed she was incapable of doing anything on her own.Well, she had been on her own for years now, and had been raised to be independent.She wasn’t coddled as a child, with teenage concerns.And he had the _nerve_ —

“What’d I miss?” Skywalker asked, and Mara realized that more time must have passed than she was aware of.Her fingers ached.When she looked down, they were white from the pressure of gripping the table.

Mara yanked back her hands, and stood. _Calm down, Jade,_ she told herself.It wasn’t fair to Skywalker to keep snapping at him for every little thing.She was going to scare him off, and that bothered her more than his _manners_ , as much as she hated to admit it.

She really did try to keep any menace out of her voice as she said, “I’m perfectly capable of paying for my own drinks, Skywalker.”

“Luke,” he corrected.“And I know that, Mara.You’re one of the most independent people I know.”He did have the decency to look sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, as he said, “I wanted to get that.It’s what people on dates _do_.”

Ah.Back to her lack of experience in dating.

“If it makes you feel better,” he continued, his countenance turning wry, “you can pay next time.”

Next time.Would there be a next time?It depended on what happened now, she figured.

The room seemed to close in, the air thickening.Mara could feel her heart beating in her chest, and she was certain that Luke Skywalker could hear it.

Manners.“Well,” Mara said, “thank you.”

His grin was bright enough to light up the whole room.“You’re very welcome, Mara.Shall we?”An arm extended, he gestured to the door.

Mara nodded slowly, and headed for the exit, pulling her jacket on as she walked.The air on the street was fresh, opening Mara’s lungs.It was dark, except for street and shop lights, and the lanes of traffic far overhead.This level of Coruscant was quieter than where they lived, and only a little seedy.Not too bad for Skywalker to be seen here, but definitely not as bad as the levels where Mara would go to escape the Palace during her adolescence.

Another couple passed by, and Mara looked to Skywalker for direction.He tilted his head to the right and turned.She followed, stepping next to him.

His hand rested on the small of her back, just briefly.Enough to guide her in the right direction.Enough to unsettle her.

She shivered.

“You cold?” he asked, an uncomfortable look crossing his face.

Mara shook her head.“No, just one of those random shiver-down-your-spine moments.”

 _Liar_ , she blamed herself, and for half a moment she wondered if Skywalker knew she was lying.

They walked in silence for a few moments.His hand bumped hers.Then a minute later, it happened again.Finally, he just grabbed her hand.Surprised, Mara looked down at their joined hands and stopped walking.

Skywalker dropped her hand like it burned him.His face flushed, and she could tell that he was embarrassed.“I’m sorry, Mara.I can just take you home—”

“No!” she interrupted, louder and more intensely than she intended.“I was just...surprised.”A pause.Another humiliating moment in the life of Mara Jade.“No one’s ever just grabbed my hand before.Well, they have but I was working and it was a cover and I don’t think that counts.”Great, she was rambling again.

A shy smile spread on Luke’s face, and he reached for her hand again.“Is this okay?”

Mara’s stomach fluttered.Incapable of speech at the moment, she merely nodded.

His fingers were warm as they laced through hers.

* * *

Skywalker’s apartment was a lot cleaner than Mara had expected.It did, of course, have dust on the shelves and lint in the corners, and an odd but not completely unpleasant smell that Mara knew to be ‘Boy.’But it looked like he had put in effort to tidy up and clean most surfaces.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, kicking a pair of shoes into the hall closet and closing the door.“I wasn’t completely sure we would come back here and then Han called me and I lost track of time—”

“It’s okay,” Mara said, looking around.

“Can I get you anything?”

She glanced at him, walking into his surprisingly spacious kitchen.“You can make me a drink.”His living room was bigger than her whole apartment.Mara took another step in towards the living room, then thought twice.“May I?” she asked, nodding towards the room.Skywalker seemed like a private enough person, and he might not want her nosing around.

“Go ahead,” he called, not even having looked.“Make yourself at home.”

Mara had never understood that phrase.Make yourself at home.Maybe if she had a home, she would feel differently.Regardless, she meandered around the room, looking at different holos he had displayed.Most were of him and Leia and Han, some of him with his friends from the war, and one that was completely different.This looked older.It was of a young couple, looking very much in love.She was in Old Republic regalia, he in Jedi robes.It didn’t take much for Mara to figure out that they—

“Those are my parents,” Skywalker said from directly behind her.Mara startled, and turned to face him.“Sorry about that.Here—it’s just Whyren’s.My bar is pretty boring.It’s mostly Han that keeps it stocked.”She took the glass from his hand, and followed his gaze back to the holo.

“They look happy,” Mara said.

Skywalker was silent for a long moment, then finally said, “I suppose they were.”She felt him take a step away, and turned back to face the room.His back was still to her as he walked, continuing, “It was a secret marriage.Attachments were forbidden to the Jedi, and she was a well-known senator.I don’t think anyone knew.Ben may have known, but he never said...”He turned back to look at her.“They were twenty-one and twenty-six when that was taken.My mother was five years older than him, apparently.And I’m older than both of them were when they died.”

He wasn’t wrong.Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader at the age of twenty-two.She couldn’t imagine being married and pregnant at this point in her life, but she was just as old as his mother was when she died.

Luke sat at the far end of the sofa, so Mara took a seat in the cushy armchair across.She could have been mistaken, but she could have sworn a look of disappointment crossed his face when she sat.She didn’t know what to make of that, so she looked down into her whiskey.

“To Anakin and Padme,” he said, glass raised.“I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Mara hummed in response, and took a long drink with Luke.

The drink rested warm in her stomach, and Mara met Luke’s eyes.He quickly glanced away, and Mara wondered what the point of all of this was.Where was this date going?Where was this _relationship_ going?

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, before Mara realized that it was _silent_.“Hey,” she said, looking about the room and as far into the rest of the apartment as she could see.“Where’s your droid?I thought it would be here, beeping up a storm to throw me out.”

“He’s not that vindictive,” Skywalker chuckled.“I took him to Han and Leia’s.Threepio needs him every once in a while to keep sane, apparently.I just happened to choose a night when it might be good for him to...you know—not be here.”

Mara leveled a glare at him.“Because it doesn’t like me.”

“In Artoo’s defense,” he insisted, “you were pretty mean to him and I don’t think he ever got an apology.”Mara’s eyes narrowed, and Skywalker raised both hands in the air.“Hey, I’m just passing on a message.”

“So he—it—told you that I needed to apologize?”

Skywalker scrubbed his hand on the back of his neck, and Mara was suddenly filled with the urge to do that for him herself.“Well, not exactly.It was more along the lines of ‘She is a monster and does not need to be coming to this household,’ but in binary and with a lot more colorful language.I don’t know where he learned a lot of those words.”

Mara could guess.Fighter pilots had a reputation after all.

But back to the situation at hand: “Wait.So you wanted to be alone with me?Without even a droid to call for help?”

He shrugged.“You don’t want to kill me anymore—”

“We’ll see about that.”

“—and that’s what people on dates do.Spend time together.Alone.”

For the thousandth time that night, Mara felt her stomach leap into her chest.There were a couple different ways she could play this out, and he was so fun to mess with... “So what do people on dates do, when they’re alone together?”

A light flush appeared on Skywalker’s face, and Mara tried not to smirk.“Well, we could watch a holo or play a game, or just talk.”

“Or...”

He gave her an amused look drier than the air on Tatooine.“You’re not going to goad me into saying anything, Mara.I wasn’t born yesterday.”

Bummer.“Sorry,” she offered, not serious at all.But he wasn’t really upset with her, and they both knew the issue that they were skirting around.Deep down, Mara was thankful that he ended that conversation there, as she might have had to start something she wasn’t sure she could finish.(Yet.)

“Alright, Skywalker,” Mara said, leaning back in the chair and taking another long drink.“So what do you want to do?”

He sighed, but it wasn’t completely exasperated.“For starters, you could call me Luke.Even before all of this, we were friends, Mara.”

“Okay,” she conceded.“I can call you Luke.But I make no guarantees in public!”

An easy laugh flowed between them.“Alright,” he said, and her chest felt light.She had the sudden urge to walk over there, climb until she was straddling his lap, and— “I can accept that.And I guess we could just talk.Get to know each other better.”

The whiskey was affecting her, she thought.Because all she wanted to look at was his face, his lips, and feel those lips on hers, and maybe on some other places, too.“Okay,” she said, forcing herself to meet his eyes.Before she could stop her legs, Mara’s body was carrying her over to the other end of the sofa; she sat down.“Is this alright?”

Skywalker—Luke—gave her a wry grin and scooted over to the middle, so that their knees were practically touching.This all was making Mara’s stomach do funny things.She clenched her hands into fists to keep her fingers from doing anything stupid.“Now it is,” he said, and Mara wondered how in the world he was still single.That look he gave her, that tone he spoke with, it was enough to drive her insane.

Two could play that game.

Mara swung her legs up and rested them across Luke’s lap.His eyes bulged for a split second, before he got himself under control.It was adorable how his hands flailed for a place to go, finally settling on her leg, just under her knee.“So,” she said, fully aware that this was going to go downhill quickly.No one got to know Mara Jade and wanted to stay.“What do you want to know?”

It certainly wasn’t what she expected.“What’s your favorite color?”

She gaped at him.“What?”

His expression remained innocent, and he repeated, “What’s your favorite color?”

“Uh,” she stalled, grasping for an answer.Did she have a favorite color?That wasn’t something she’d thought of before, it hadn’t been necessary.“I guess, yellow.Like a warm, golden yellow.Like the sky just at daybreak.”She was blundering this up, and only then did she realize that the exact color she was describing was Luke’s aura in the Force.Huh.“Your turn,” she finished, downing the rest of her drink.This was worse than asking extremely personal questions.Intimate details were facts; these childish questions were just that: childish—and Mara Jade had never had a childhood.

Luke refilled her glass as he easily answered, “Green.Or blue.But probably green.Not just because of my lightsaber, though I guess that’s part of it.Tatooine was so dull and beige that any color was surprising to me.The first planet I ever visited once I got off Tatooine was Yavin, and it was so _green_.I didn’t know such a vibrant, living color could exist.And then I like blue because of the sky.”

Mara rolled her eyes at his final comment.

“Favorite food?”

That one was easier.“Tipyip.From Endor, specifically.”

“Seriously?” he gaped.“Wow.That’s actually kind of random.I’m impressed.Mine would have to be pacche noodles.Any style.From the lower levels of Coruscant, specifically.”

His eyes were sparkling.“Now you’re just making fun of me,” she whined, trying and failing to keep a smile off her face.

“Never!” he said.“It’s true!The lower you go, the better the noodle!”

Mara raised her eyebrows at him.“Is that a euphemism?”

Luke immediately flushed.“No, not at all, I—”

She raised a hand and laughed.“Relax, Luke.It was a joke.”

He visibly exhaled and released tension in his shoulders.“Sometimes I say things and they come out wrong,” he explained.“Leia’s fairly patient with me, but Han and Wedge and the other guys are merciless.I’ve gotten used to backtracking immediately, not that it ever helps.”

Mara waited for him to gather himself before she said, “You’re right though.”Luke’s jaw dropped.“I’m talking about the noodles.I used to go out to the lower levels when I needed an escape, which usually resulted in getting into a fight.But I sometimes found other outlets, too.There were a bunch of old ladies who taught me to knit, some kids who taught me street games.”She felt her expression darken.“That all came to an end, of course, when he found out.”

She knew Luke would understand, wouldn’t have to ask.

He did, however, reach over and grab her hand.Laced his fingers between hers again.Squeezed gently.There was a strange feeling in Mara’s chest, like her heart was expanding.A ridiculous notion, but there was no other way for her to describe the sensation.She was grateful, _thankful_ that he was her friend.

“Thank you for being my friend, Luke,” Mara said, before she could convince herself not to.

He cocked his head at her.“You don’t have to thank me, Mara.Friendship isn’t a choice, not really.Your friends are your friends, for better or worse.Sometimes they annoy you, sometimes they make you laugh, and sometimes they just listen when you need to talk.”He paused, as if he were uncertain in what he wanted to say.“I’m always here if you need to talk.”

Nodding, Mara looked down at their hands.His thumb swiped over her knuckles, and she was reminded of the same motion when he kissed her on the balcony.She didn’t deserve him.

“And hey,” he said, his voice soft and filling the mood with light, “you used my name.”

“That’s what friends do,” she said sardonically.

“No,” Luke said, “I said that that’s what people on _dates_ do.”

Mara smiled.“So we’re back to this.The concept of a date.”

“We’ve pretty much covered first date territory,” he said.“We had drinks, shared embarrassing stories, got to know each other better.”His eyes met hers, and Mara’s stomach plummeted to the floor, swooping out from under her.Those damn blue eyes.That was her favorite color, she thought, as his face slowly neared hers.“Just one more thing,” he murmured, just a breath away.

Then he kissed her.

It was softer than even his kiss on the balcony.Chaste.Just a simple press of lips to lips.

He pulled back, and she could read concern in his eyes.“Was that okay?”

Mara nodded, unable to keep her own eyes from his lips.Her eyes flickered closed, and she felt his lips on hers again.Firmer this time.More intent.

His fingers continued to caress her hand, but his other hand slid up her arm, whisked past her neck, and came to rest on her jaw.It was just instinct telling her to lean into his hand.She’d certainly never been kissed like this before.What happened at the party was sexual tension, built up until release was inevitable.They were lucky the explosion was contained.

This was exploration.This was getting to know each other.This was a first date.

“You’re thinking too much,” Luke said as they pulled apart.

Her eyelids felt heavy.“I don’t think I’m thinking at all.”

She leaned in to kiss him, a little more insistently, raising her arms so she could wrap them around his neck, tangle her fingers through his hair.Distantly, she noted that it was softer than she had imagined.

Lost in the feeling, Mara drew her nails down the back of his scalp, arching towards him as the hand that had been holding hers ran up and down her back.Pulled her closer to him.She raised herself up a bit to shift her weight—

And he was gone.Left in the lurch, Mara looked around, panicked.This was a joke, this was some prank, he couldn’t have left, he couldn’t have—

“Relax, Mara,” his voice came from by the front door.She watched as he double checked the lock, and turned most of the lights off, until the only illumination was a lamp on the other side of the room.Her heart was racing, from the kiss and the surprise of him leaving and the anticipation of his return. 

Luke sat down next to her, closer to her, and placed a hand just under her left clavicle.Not even close to groping, surely he wasn’t—

“Relax, Mara,” he repeated, kissing her slowly.

“How can I?” Mara whispered between little kisses he placed on her lips, on her cheekbones, on her jaw.

His return to her mouth was met with a fresh rush of _want_.Mara was barely aware of her motions as she shifted her weight over his lap until she was straddling him, resting on his thighs.

Luke shifted awkwardly—Mara felt his brief discomfort through the Force—but his hands were both on her back, pressed her chest against his.As they kissed, more and more loosely, Luke’s tongue touched Mara’s lower lip, and she opened for him.She pressed her tongue to his, unsure of what she was doing.(Her marks were usually dead by this point, and the few lovers she’d taken were more interested in getting down to business and getting out.)

One hand slid up into her hair, grasping it gently, and Mara couldn’t stop the moan that escaped her throat.His tongue was sliding against hers, exploring her mouth, and Mara couldn’t help but wonder where he learned to do this.How did she compare to the women of Tatooine, of the Rebellion, of the high echelons of the New Republic?Did he like the way she was touching him, unsure of how to do this slowly or gently?

The whole situation was delicate.

Mara dove deeper into the kiss, willing her irrational thoughts away.She was kissing Luke Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker, the man she had sworn to kill.

Luke Skywalker, the man she had become friends with.

Luke Skywalker, the man who trailed a hand down from her neck to her shoulder, then hesitated before lowering it further to her breast, squeezing gently.His lips were on her neck and Mara’s head fell back as she caught her breath.She involuntarily arched into his hand, wanting more, wanting—

She was kissing Luke Skywalker.

Mara scrambled backwards like she had been electrocuted, nearly falling off the sofa in the process.Luke was staring at her, and Mara wanted nothing more than to launch back onto him and feel the skin of his chest beneath his tunic.His eyes were dazed, his lips swollen, hair mussed from where she had run her fingers through it.

Breathing heavily, Mara turned her head back and forth, searching for her things.“I have to go,” she muttered, walking around the room to find her few belongings.“This was a mistake, I should never have agreed to this, you’re _Luke Skywalker,_ where is my kriffing left shoe—”

Strong hands gripped her shoulders, and Mara looked up into those blue eyes that she knew would haunt her.“Mara,” he said, “calm down.”

“You can’t be with me,” she breathed, breaking away from him with a roll of her shoulders.“You’re _Luke Skywalker_ , and I’m the Emperor’s Hand and everyone knows and my reputation’s never been worse, and I’m no good for you.”Jamming her feet into her shoes, Mara yanked her jacket on and headed for the door.“This is for the best, Luke.We can pretend this never happened.”

He stepped in front of her, blocking the narrow entryway.“I don’t want to pretend this never happened, Mara.I like you.I had a great time tonight.”

She could barely meet his eyes, because she knew if she did then she would stay and that would only bring him and his family pain.She couldn’t do that to any of them; she owed them too much.

“Mara, _please_ ,” he begged, grasping her hand tightly.Mara pulled but she couldn’t get away.Of course, she didn’t really want to get away.

She looked up at him with wide eyes.She must look a mess, she would have to freshen up in the taxi before getting home.They knew too many of the same people.She couldn’t be seen looking like she had just been making out with Luke Skywalker.

Though that was very much what she wanted to keep doing.

His eyes were sad as they bored into hers.“Don’t leave, Mara.I’m sorry, we can just talk, or—”

“I like you,” she blurted out, cutting him off.“I like you a lot, Luke Skywalker, but I can’t do this to you, to your family.I’m sorry for hurting you, but we— _I_ never should have let it get this far in the first place.”

“I don’t care,” Luke insisted, squeezing her hand.He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her.She wasn’t much shorter than him but his brilliance in the Force made Mara feel tiny.“Leia doesn’t care, Han doesn’t care.They knew I was with you tonight.No one who matters cares, and no one who cares matters, Mara.I promise.”His voice was gentler, slightly muffled because he was speaking into her hair, but he said, “Please don’t leave, Mara.Stay just a little longer.”

Mara sighed.She liked him.She had just admitted as much.They were seen in a public place tonight.They could still salvage this situation, keep his reputation intact.But she didn’t want to do any of that.She knew that Luke didn’t want to do any of that.He wanted her to stay.

When had anyone ever wanted her to stay?

Mara squeezed her eyes shut, couldn’t help but feel that she fit perfectly within his arms.Like they were made for each other.

She carefully extracted herself, so that she could look him in the eye.“I really should leave, Luke.Not because I’m running away,” she admitted, “but because this was our first date, and I...I feel like this is uncharted territory.I don’t know how to do this, but I know that it’s something we need to figure out together.You’re going to have to be patient with me, because I am not going to be giving up anything for you.I will never give anything up for a man.”If her voice was hard, it was because she was convicted.It wasn’t personal, she willed him to understand.

“We can go slow,” Luke assured her, reaching up with one hand to brush some hair out of her face.“However slow you need.However long it takes.I’m playing the long game, Mara.I don’t care if it takes ten years.I want _you_ , Mara Jade.”

The impact of his words hit her like a freighter.He wanted _her_.That didn’t change the fact that she needed to leave.She had work in the morning, she remembered.This whole night felt like a dream, like it never happened and she was in some sort of limbo right now.

She lifted up her lips in a small smile.“I do need to leave, Luke,” Mara said, regretfully.“I have work in the morning, and I’m sure you have something important to do, too.Thank you for tonight.I had a wonderful time, the past ten minutes excluded.”

“Thanks for agreeing to meet me,” he said.“Do you want me to walk you home?”

Mara flushed under his _manners_ again.“Thanks,” she said, “but no.I have to take a cab and that would just take too long.”

Confusion crossed his face.“I just realized that I’ve never asked where you live.I just assumed it was around here.”

Like the rest of his friends.How cute.

Mara gave him a dry look.“Not all of us can afford high society living, Skywalker,” she said, stepping around him to the door.“And some of us can, but don’t like it much.”Just before she hit the door release, she turned around.“Comm me tomorrow?”

“I think you mean today,” Luke said, a bright smile on his face.

“Fine,” Mara said, unable to keep a matching smile from hers.“Comm me today?”

Luke nodded.

“See you around, Skywalker,” Mara said as she walked into the hallway.Maybe this could work.Maybe she could date Luke Skywalker without the galaxy falling to pieces.She was going to drag him down, but if he didn’t care, then maybe this—

“Mara, wait!”

She stopped, and turned around.Luke had run up behind her, and was looking down at her with a look that she _knew_ preceded every spot of trouble he’d ever been in.

“There’s one more thing about a first date,” he said, taking her hand.Luke led her to the turbolift, and pressed the button.After a minute, the doors opened, and Mara stepped forward, assuming he would go with her.

But he didn’t.Instead, he pulled her back, took her face between his palms, and kissed her.Soundly.

“Can’t leave without a kiss goodnight,” he said cheekily, and Mara felt her stomach flip and flutter again.

“Goodnight,” she whispered, his face just a breath from hers.

He kissed her again.“Goodnight, Mara Jade.”


End file.
